This invention relates, in general, to fabrication of optical devices and, more particularly, to manufacturing and fabrication of optical interface devices.
This application is related to copending application that bears Ser. No. 07/889,335, entitled "MOLDED WAVEGUIDE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME" filed on May 28, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,184 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
At present, optical interface devices are made using a variety of methods, such as photolithography, diffusion, ion implantation, or a combination of any of the above. Generally, these methods used for manufacturing optical interface units or devices are complex, inefficient, and are generally not suitable for high volume manufacturing. However, as use of optical interface units or devices increase, a need for a fabrication method and a structure that allows for efficient and cost effective manufacturing will be required.
Further, use of conventional methods for manufacturing optical interface devices cannot provide sufficient flexibility for manufacturing large quantities of optical interface units, thereby making optical interface units difficult to be assimilated into standard electronic circuits and electronic components. As a result, these inflexible conventional methods limit the use of optical interface devices for interconnection applications in standard electronic equipment, thus use of optical interface devices in high volume applications are severely curtailed.
Additionally, conventional methods for manufacturing optical interface devices require individual processing that is typically achieved by hand. Manufacturing optical interface devices by hand injects many problems into manufacturing, such as being extremely labor intensive, costly, and accuracy of workmanship that results in the optical interface units not being allowed to be manufactured in high volumes. Moreover, individual fabrication of optical interface units do not generally lend themselves to automated manufacturing, thus causing limited use of optical interface devices in electronic products.
It can be readily seen that conventional methods for manufacturing optical interface devices have severe limitations. Also, it is evident that conventional methods for manufacturing these optical interface devices are not only ineffective, expensive, and complex, but also do not lend themselves to high volume manufacturing environments. Therefore, a method for manufacturing optical interface units or devices in an automated effective manner would be highly desirable.